1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to dispensing apparatus for liquid and pulverulent materials, especially paints and coatings, and in particular to such apparatus incorporated into a vehicular structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various industries utilizing liquid and pulverulent materials have sought for improvements in the packaging and transport of those materials. The paint and coatings industries, for example, have long shipped products in sealed cans. Domestically, the larger cans have traditionally been of a one-gallon or five-gallon size but more recently five gallon plastic pails are employed.
Challenges have arisen in providing an efficient distribution of two-part coating compositions, such as epoxy enamel and similar types of coatings, requiring the mixture of two or more components immediately prior to their application at a work site. For larger jobs, cans containing the mixture parts are emptied into a mixing receptacle at a work site. Smaller jobs may however require amounts that are considerably smaller than those allotted to a conventional shipping container. For example, it may not always be convenient to mix an entire gallon or quart of a particular composition if smaller amounts are required. Due to the short working life of the mixed composition, any mixed amount not used will be wasted. If a workman attempts to mix less than a full container, the question inevitably arises as to whether the desired mixing ratios have been maintained. Upon initial consideration one may think that such problems of mixing small quantities on demand would arise only in relatively small jobs, such as small residential projects, for example. However, the issue arises in very large jobs such as coating the floors, walls, or other portions of an entire commercial building. It is customary in such larger jobs to employ a number of workmen, to start at different parts of the building. Thus, each workman may be regarded as being assigned to an individual, smaller job. A need has arisen for providing accurate mixing of liquid and pulverulent materials in the field, on site, and on demand. The need has also arisen to reduce the use of traditional shipping containers, such as paint cans, as much as possible.